In the practice, it is known that, for example in the production of sausage-shaped products, like sausages, a filling material is fed by a filling machine in a feeding direction through a filling tube of a clipping machine into a tubular casing material which is stored on the filling tube and which is closed at its front end, referred to the feeding direction, by a closing clip. The tubular casing material is pulled-off from the filling tube while being filled. After a predetermined volume of filling material is filled into said tubular casing material, a displacement device with a first and a second pair of displacement elements forms a plait-like portion of the tubular casing material and the clipping machine places and closes at least one closing clip at the plait-like portion forming the back end of the sausage-shaped product by respective closing tools which are reversibly movable towards the plait-like portion. In the case that the sausage-shaped product has to be hung up, e.g. for further treatment, a suspension element, like a suspension loop, is attached to the sausage-shaped product together with one of the closing clips. Thereafter, the sausage-shaped product just produced, is separated from the remaining casing material by a knife or the like of a cutting device of the clipping machine and is transferred to a storage device or another machine for further treatment.
From DE patent 38 06 467, an apparatus for producing and transferring sausages to a storage device, in particular to a smoking rod, is known. A device for discharging the sausage just produced out of a clipping machine and transferring said sausage to the smoking rod includes a sword being part of a guide device of said known apparatus and having a first or tip end directed towards the clipping machine for catching the suspension loop attached to said sausage, as well as a second end opposite to the tip end. Moreover, there is provided a chain conveyor for transferring the sausages hanging on the sword to a smoking rod. A belt conveyor carries the sausage just produced out of the clipping machine, whereby the suspension loop is shifted along the sword. For holding the sword in position, and for enabling the suspension loop passing the sword, said sword is held by pistons laterally engaging the sword. For allowing the suspension loop to pass the pistons, said pistons can alternately be disengaged from the sword.
For a trouble-free operation, a complex control of said apparatus is necessary since the movement of the pistons has to be coordinated with the transportation speed of the belt conveyor and the production rate of the clipping machine. Moreover, said pistons may not be moved at a high speed, thereby limiting the maximum production rate of the clipping machine.